Overview

• Patients commonly see four to seven clinicians before reaching a hematologist, stretching diagnosis to 9–12 months and leading to advanced presentations including spinal cord compression.
• In Mexico the median age at diagnosis is 59 years, younger than in Europe and the United States, with more than 70% of cases identified at advanced stages.
• Official incidence stands at 1.6 cases per 100,000 according to INCan, yet experts point to likely undercounting in the absence of a robust national cancer registry; Globocan logged 2,346 new cases and over 1,500 deaths in 2022.
• Innovations such as immunotherapies, bispecific antibodies and CAR‑T have pushed overall survival beyond 10 years for many patients, yet regulatory approval has not translated into broad access in Mexico.
• Patient groups have expanded primary‑care training since 2020 and specialists urge earlier suspicion, wider availability of staging tests including cytogenetics, updated care pathways and system‑wide coordination as roughly 30 people seek care for myeloma each day.